The Berserk Melancholia
by Pekinaso
Summary: When Yasha witnesses the tragic event of Durga's murder, all hell breaks loose as his own melancholia consumes him, transforming him into BERSERKER YASHA. A "What If" short of what might've happened if Yasha had witnessed his sister's murder.


Uneasiness. He couldn't help but feel a churning sensation in his gut as he looked at his niece and sister wistfully. He started to lightly drum his fingers against the table, prompting his younger sibling to look at him.

"What's wrong, brother?" she asked, a gentle smile on her face. The brother shook his head.

"Nothing, Durga," he lied. "I'm just thinking."

"About what, uncle?" his niece asked as she looked up from her bowl of cereal. He leaned back in his chair.

"How the rest of this day will turn out," he answered. Durga placed a hand on her troubled brother's arm.

"You're worried about Asura, aren't you?" she asked him. He exhaled loudly through his nose.

"There's no need to worry about him, Durga," he replied. "He can take care of himself." His sister nodded at this. It was true. She moved her hand over to his.

"Would you like something to eat, or drink?" she asked. Again her brother shook his head.

"No, I'm alright," he responded. He started to stand up. "I should get going." Suddenly, his niece stood up as well.

"Uncle, please stay a little longer," she whined. His heart sank. He could still remember Deus' exact orders repeating over and over in his head. Still, he couldn't simply say "no" to his niece, especially when she gave him those puppy dog eyes of hers. Durga laughed.

"Listen to Mithra, brother," she chuckled. "Let yourself relax. You had a hard day of fighting against Vlitra and the Gohma yesterday." He couldn't help but laugh softly as he sat back down.

"Very well. Perhaps I'll stay a little longer."

Hours passed, and the feeling of uneasiness continued to grow. He had tried to drink some tea to calm himself, but it didn't really work. The only thing keeping him from getting paranoid was his own calm composure. As he sat silently on the living room couch, he kept on replaying Deus' plan in his head. Asura would be kept busy, and away from his family long enough for Mithra to be essentially kidnapped. Nothing about that worried him; Asura was sure to be alright, and no harm was to come to Mithra. But the one being sent to take Mithra was what made him uncomfortable.

He did not trust Sergei. He knew of his mental instability. He was worried that that psychopath would harm Durga. He had tried to argue with Deus that sending Sergei to complete the mission was a bad idea, but the commander of the Eight Guardian Generals only reassured him that no harm would come to his younger sister. He wanted to believe Deus' word, but he couldn't bring himself to.

He debated whether or not to leave the house unnoticed. He _could_ go to Deus and try to convince him that he himself could take Mithra in a diplomatic way, as she was his niece. It sounded like a good plan, but it was probably too late. He had no doubt that Sergei had already been dispatched. He leaned further back against the couch.

 _I wonder how Asura's doing_ , he thought to himself. It's not like that raging brute worried him, but he was genuinely concerned. He probably fought off all of the soldiers like nothing, and although Wyzen was a powerhouse, he was a joke compared to Asura. He only wondered what was taking him so long to get back. He didn't think that it would take his brother-in-law _this_ long to rush back home. He exhaled loudly. He would stay here, in the house, and make sure that he protected Durga from Sergei in case he decided to get too violent for his tastes.

It wasn't long before the narcissistic demigod appeared at Asura's home. He walked inside as if it were his own residence and soon found what he was sent here for. Durga eyed him curiously as Mithra hid behind her, her face full of concern. Asura's wife tilted her head.

"Sergei? What brings you here?" she asked in a friendly manner. Sergei flashed a smile, though it did not appear friendly.

"Deus sent me," he told her. "He wants to see Mithra." Durga bit her lip.

"Asura hasn't returned yet," she responded. "Normally, he would go with her to ensure her safety." Sergei waved his hand.

"She'll be fine with me," he reassured her. Still, Durga was adamant. If Asura wasn't here to watch her, then she'd go. As Mithra's mother, she only wanted her daughter to be safe. She stepped towards Sergei, making sure Mithra was behind her.

"I'll go with her," she said calmly. Sergei widened his eyes in surprise.

"Ah, Durga, that's not necessary—"

"Please, I'm her mother. I, like Asura, only want to make sure that she's safe." Everything was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, Sergei dropped his head and laughed softly.

"Ah, this could've been so much more… _peaceful_ ," he said menacingly, his eyes burning with a cruel, crazy light.

It all went by so fast. One moment Sergei and Durga were standing a few feet away from each other. Then, he was right in front of her. A single gasp escaped from between Durga's lips as she reacted to the blow. It took Mithra a few seconds to register what had just happened, and when she finally realized what had occurred, she screamed.

Sergei's hand was lost in Durga's solar plexus, and her dress was slowly becoming stained as her blood began to soak into it. Suddenly, just as fast as he had stabbed her with his own hand, he pulled it out in one swift, graceful motion. Durga stumbled backwards a few inches before falling to her knees, clutching her wound as she did.

"Mother!" Mithra sobbed as she reached for her. Before she could even touch her however, Sergei had seized her arm with his clean hand and pulled her away just as Durga fell backwards and lay on her back. Mithra continued to scream and cry as she struggled to pull away from Sergei and run towards her dying mother, but to no avail. The demigod was nearly dragging her out, a cruel smile on his face. However, before he could get very far with her, someone else appeared.

When he heard Mithra's scream, he knew that something had gone wrong. In an instant he was on his feet and rushing to the aid of his niece and sister. He appeared in the doorway of the room that they were in, and froze. His sister lay on the ground, face up, a bleeding wound right above her abdomen. Sergei stood on the far side of the room, Mithra's arm in his hand. His niece was crying and screaming, and reached out for her mother. She looked at her uncle.

"Uncle!" she screamed, hoping to receive help from him. Sergei seemed to examine the other demigod whose sister he had just wounded. His grin only appeared to widen.

"Yasha, I could have sworn you left to report to Deus hours ago," he said in a mocking tone. He couldn't respond. He was still too much in shock. Deus' promise… Durga dying before his eyes… Finally, he started to come out of his temporary paralysis. He noticed Sergei's bloodstained hand, which he attempted to hide from him. His normally calm, cool and composed eyes began to harden, and fill with a fury he usually kept in check.

"No harm was to come to Durga," he said darkly, his expression matching his tone. A weak moan from his sister prompted him to return his gaze to her. Her head rolled to the side. She didn't have much time left. He slowly walked over to her, still somewhat horrified. He dropped to one knee beside her and placed one hand under her head. He placed his other hand on the middle of her back and lifted her up slightly. She looked at him weakly.

"Yasha… Brother…" she murmured weakly as she held his arm loosely. He shook his head slowly.

"No, save your breath," he told her softly. She moved her hand to his face instead. During this period, Sergei wasted no time in releasing Mithra's arm to grab her around the waist instead, and took off with her. Durga ran her fingers along her brother's sideburn.

"Mithra… Make sure she's safe," she pleaded quietly. Her eyes closed as her arm dropped and her head rolled back. He froze again. No, no… She couldn't be… No, she wasn't. Not yet. Her stomach rose and fell, slowly and shuddery, but it did. She was still alive, but not for long. She was weakening. He carefully lowered her back down to the floor and released her. He was trembling badly. He had believed Deus, and now… His sadness began to grow, as did his inner fury.

A blue aura of energy began to curl from his body as his Mantra levels began to spike. Then, suddenly, he raised his head to the ceiling and yelled. It was a cry of depression and rage combined. A _haunting_ sound, almost. At that moment, the energy around him intensified, an explosion of power swirling around him like furious winds. Some arcs of blue lightning surrounded his form as he unleashed his power. His golden eyes turned entirely white as his melancholia consumed him. One moment he was General Yasha, one of the best of the Eight Guardian Generals, the fastest of the demigods of Shinkoku Trastrium. The next moment, he was no longer himself.

Sergei leaped from rooftop to rooftop with Mithra in tow. She had stopped screaming by now, and only wept silently. He had chosen to take this path to get to his destination uninterrupted. Still, he wasn't far enough to not be able to hear that horrible yell, that melancholic cry. _Melancholic_. Had Yasha really cared for his sister _that_ much? Suddenly, he heard something fly through the air above him. He hardly had time to look up at it, because that something landed right in front of him, cracking the rooftop upon impact. Sergei paused, which was a mistake.

The something moved quickly, grabbing the young demigod and throwing him down to ground level. As Sergei was lifted and thrown, he released Mithra. Mithra screamed, but not for long. Sergei's attacker grabbed her and smashed into the ground feet-first, cracking it as well. It released Mithra and set her down on the ground just as Sergei struggled to recover from landing gracefully on his feet. It was at that moment that he got a good look at who, or rather, _what_ , had attacked him.

It was a humanoid being with metallic blue skin that gave off the faintest blue glow. Ornate silvery designs decorated its body, while its fingers were clad entirely in golden rings, and tipped with sharp golden claws. Golden wrist armor covered both of its forearms, while a golden piece of foot armor decorated its feet, revealing its clawed toes and heel while going up to its ankles. The being stood hunched over, very much like an animal. Its face further supported its bestial appearance.

Its face seemed fairly flat, its nose having shrunk some. Its eyes were entirely white, but reflected a mixture of dark emotions. Its mouth was a permanent frown, the corners of its mouth pointing downwards. The inside of its mouth glowed with a rich blue light, but its sharpened bluish teeth were easily visible against the light. Dangling from the creature's right earlobe was a unique golden earring. Above the being's eyebrows, the metallic body appeared to be broken, and a bright blue energy spilled out of it. The energy appeared to be solid however, and seemed to serve as the being's hair. The hair at the top was wrapped in a characteristic tight bun, while the rest flowed down the back of its neck, two locks instead choosing to drape over its shoulders. Another bit of "hair" was visible on the creature's chin, acting as a small goatee.

Sergei recognized his attacker immediately, despite it appearing differently and looking a little less muscular and more bestial. He took a slow step back, his eyes displaying his shock and fear.

"Y—Yasha—?!" he cried. The beast straightened up slightly, revealing two flexible beams of energy that resembled twin scraps of cloth. It growled, though it was in Yasha's voice. Well, an _echo_ of his voice was more like it. Mithra looked at the being fearfully, and began to tremble slightly.

"Uncle…?" she asked softly. It glanced down at her, its eyes visibly softening. Sergei began to laugh uncomfortably.

"Oh, Yasha, I didn't think that her death would affect you _that_ much—" The being whipped its head back towards the narcissistic demigod, roared, though it was an echo of Yasha's yell, and lunged at its victim. In a blur of blue, it was right in front of Sergei, and had dealt its blow. Sergei froze, a scream becoming stuck in the back of his throat. He slowly looked down at the beast's arm, which was buried up to the elbow in his stomach. The creature's hand protruded through Sergei's back, its fingers close together to make for easier stabbing. Then, just as fast as it attacked, it ripped its hand out of the demigod's body and took a step back.

Sergei gasped as he doubled over, and then fell backwards. The thick, oily, bright orange fluid that served as his blood began to spurt from the mortal wound, and began to run down the corner of his mouth. He began to cough as he slowly began to die. His attacker remained silent, shutting its mouth as it turned towards Mithra. It took slow, awkward steps towards her, its arms hanging down in front of it as it hunched over. It was as if walking on two legs had become too difficult. As it neared, Mithra began to stop shaking.

"Uncle, is that you?" she asked. It didn't answer. It wrapped its arms around her waist instead, and lifted her up. Then, just like that, it leaped high into the air, and left the scene. It soon returned to Asura's home with Mithra in tow, and gently set the demigoddess on the ground. She looked up into the white eyes of her rescuer.

"Uncle…" she said softly. The creature made a growling sound as it stepped away.

" _Mithra_ …" it managed to say, its voice an echo of Yasha's. Mithra smiled, happy that her uncle had managed to find his voice. The bestial demigod straightened up as best as he could. " _Your father... he will be here soon_."

"You're not staying?" his niece asked, realizing that he intended to leave. He shook his head slowly.

" _I… must leave_ ," he responded as he turned around. " _I do not belong in Shinkoku_." With that, he gave a mighty leap that propelled him high into the air, and he traveled far enough to disappear from Mithra's sight. He had betrayed his fellow demigods. He did not belong here. _Monsters_ did not belong here.


End file.
